1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to colour selection and in particular provides an apparatus whereby a customer may select desired paint colours having regard to particular requirements such as contrast or harmony.
The invention will be described hereinafter with reference to a particular type of colour selection apparatus. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to this particular embodiment or field of use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known to select paint colours from a colour chart displaying a selection of available colours in discrete sample areas spaced over the chart. Where a wide range of possible colours is available it is known to provide a large display rack holding a matrix array of small packs of colour cards. The cards in any one pack are identical and each card in that pack may display one or more colours. The colour or colours displayed in any one pack are different from those in every other pack and the individual colour packs are preferably arranged on the rack in related groupings. For example, all shades of one colour are preferably displayed in a single area such as a block, row or column.
The coloured face of each card is directed towards the customer who may then remove one or more selected cards from the top of their respective packs, thereby leaving the next underlying identical card visible such that the entire display remains functional provided the packs are periodically replenished.
Preferably, each card includes a plurality of closely similar colours to permit a final and accurate selection to be made.
Once a particular colour has been chosen, the customer frequently needs to select additional related colours to achieve a particular aesthetic effect. This additional selection depends upon what particular chromatic relationship is required between the colours. The customer may wish to draw on accepted rules of harmony, contrast, tonal and triadic relationships to produce the desired effect.
While the tonal relationships between different colours and the use of a "colour wheel" is well known, in cases where perhaps six hundred different colours are available, the customer is often faced with a daunting problem in selecting suitable colour pairs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a colour display apparatus which will greatly facilitate the selection of related colours.